Through The Forest
by Sailor Kirby
Summary: A tribute to my favorite card, the Celtic Guardian.The Amazon Archer is also in here.Do you know how few fics star either of these guys?Not alot.Anyway, a young Elven prince pairs up with a slave, a former amazon, to prevent the biggest diaster of all.
1. Intro

Dear Readers who probably clicked on this by accident and have no interest in this story at all though I would hope otherwise,  
  
I have only recently joined FF.Net, but I have been reading fics on here for a while. In such time I noticed the definite lack of Celtic Guardian fics! In my world this is a crime. Celtic was the first card I got and has been my favorite since his appearance on the show. I'm also a big fan of the women warrior cards, the Amazon Archer leading the pack. So I decided to jump into the fanfic line and do my best stab at a fic for my favorite card. Thank you for (hopefully) bearing with me through my rants and I hope you enjoy my fanfic at least a little. Oh, yeah, and the beginning SUCKS.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Sailor Kirby   
  
It is odd how destiny works. Seemingly pointless actions can shift the course of one's life. Such a tale is of the young Elven prince Cen (pronounced Ken) and the archeress Alie. Recorded here is the path they and their band of miscreants followed to the one place they sought-  
  
Home.  
  
In the years gone and passed, a kingdom existed. The forest kingdom of Srieg. Monarched by the fair and noble line of Waltz, Srieg prospered beyond belief and the people were kept happy.  
  
But every kingdom has a dark blemish.   
  
Through tradition, yearly attacks were made upon the Amazon kingdom and the residents taken as slaves until the mighty Amazon dispersed. Few of these Amazon Warriors exist today, and when one is stumbled across they are often hung. You can tell an Amazon by the tattoo of a mythical beast on their right arm.  
  
The current rulers of Srieg are the King Jan Waltz and the Queen Sera Waltz. They have one son, Prince Cen. Our tale begins at the High Table at the traditional Harvest Feast.  
  
The sixteen-year-old future ruler of Srieg stifled a yawn, drumming his fingers on the table. His mother, Queen Sera, jabbed him sharply in the side, hissing at him to pay attention. Cen rolled his eyes openly. His mother hadn't been listening to the stuffy noble's speech either. But he focused his eyes and sat erect for the last ten words of the noble's speech.  
  
"…and so, I would just like to say- thank you." Those in attendance of the feast clapped energetically for the end of the very long, very boring speech. Cen could have sworn he heard a very soft-  
  
"Thank the Holies that's over." From behind him, but when he turned no one was there but a kitchen slave heavily laden by a drink tray.  
  
'She's pretty.' Cen couldn't help but think. As if she could hear his thoughts, the slave turned, her amber eyes burning through him. And yet she seemed almost… frightened. But she whipped around, her silvery hair swinging behind her, and continued delivering drinks. Moments later, as she was replacing the King Jan's empty goblet with a full one, a rouge mouse streaked through the dining hall. The cook came chasing after it, butcher knife in hand, and accidentally crashed into the kitchen slave. The girl fell forward, and the goblet slipped from her hand. Right onto King Jan's lap. He stood up, bellowing as the wine spread across his shirt and pants. Lifting his hand, he struck the girl and she went clattering across the floor.  
  
"Filthy, worthless scum! How dare you, you impudent…" King Jan rambled on and on. The slave stood back up, she was almost directly behind Cen now, her long right sleeve somehow pulled up to the elbow. For a fleeting instant, Cen saw a tattoo of a dragon. But the girl quickly pulled down the sleeve, left hand holding her arm possessively. She glared at Cen, walking away quickly from the scene. King Jan excused himself to go and change his clothes, apologizing about the interruption to his guests.  
  
Later that night, in the privacy of his bedroom, Cen puzzled over the kitchen slave. Why did she have a tattoo on her right arm, the mark of an Amazon? If she WAS an Amazon, why was she a slave?   
  
"Get a hold of yourself Cen," he firmly told his reflection in the full-length mirror, "It's none of your business anyway. Not yet." He grinned in anticipation of the day HE would be the ruler of Srieg.  
  
Author's Note: Well, what do you think? You like it? I hope you all do… I like it. But I'm the authoress, it's my job. Anyway, some of you might be readers of my Dark Magic story, and may be about to KILL me for daring to write another fic when I haven't updated that one. But I have an excuse, really! I'm typing that one on a disk, and I wrote the next chapter, it's just that I took it to my friend Cunobaby's house so she could give me her opinion. She liked it, but I unfortunately left the disk at her house. And I haven't seen her since then. But I will put the next chappie up as soon as I get it back. I promise! 


	2. Grime and Dust

I almost forgot to say-  
  
I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
  
Sad, sad.  
  
Oh well.  
  
Alie quickly ran to the dingy slave quarters, eyes flashing. How could she have been so stupid? She could have moved out of the way. Dumb cook. Idiotic king. Now the prince had seen her tattoo, and knew her secret. Who would look after Ashee, poor, sweet Ashee, if she were hung? And what if they learned Ashee too had the Amazon mark? Alie would never be able to rest peacefully. But she mustn't think of such things right now. If the prince had even seen her dragon, he was probably too foolish to know what it meant. That thought, if nothing else, calmed Alie. She sighed, slowing to a walk. Ashee would surely notice her flustered self, she needed the few moments to think a plausible excuse.  
  
The mute little sister of Alie (based off the Flame Assassin or Lady Assailant of the Red Flame card. Yeah, I know, you wouldn't think her to be a mute or a little sister. Deal with it! Just kidding ^-^) sat unnoticed in the corner of the crowded slave quarters, right sleeve up, tracing the careful curves of the phoenix tattooed there. She looked up, pulling down the sleeve, and moments later Alie burst through the door, well more of a ragged cloth hanging than a door, amber eyes scanning the room for her younger sibling. The twenty or so others didn't even notice her presence as she made her way to the grimy corner.  
  
"Ashee." The thirteen-year-old greeted her three-year-older sister with a smallish wave. Ashee carefully channeled her thoughts to speak, in a way, to Alie. The phoenix power within her helped this amazing feat.  
  
'How is the game going?' Alie strained herself to respond. The connection was hard on both siblings, so they had to limit this kind of contact.  
  
'Alright, I suppose. The court still thinks I love the king, even if I did spill wine on him. He's not likely to try that again.' Ashee nodded, but looked up from the floor, her green eyes locked on Alie's. The two sisters looked extraordinarily alike, with the same silver hair, which Ashee pulled into a side ponytail and Alie wore down, and the same brilliant eyes, although different colors. They both looked nothing like their mother, though Alie saw almost saw shadows of the person she hated in her and Ashee's faces.   
  
'…at else…penned? Ou look…ustrated.' Ashee's mental powers were clearly wavering and could only pronounce this out of-What else happened? You look frustrated. But Alie knew perfectly well what Ashee meant to say. The connection broke, so Alie was forced to speak aloud.  
  
"At the banquet, I was serving drinks and the cook crashed into me…and the snot-nosed prince saw…" Alie looked around to be sure none of the sleeping slaves heard her, then flipped up her sleeve. Even the sister's closest friends would turn them in if they knew. It could mean freedom. "…my dragon." Ashee's eyes opened wide, mouth hanging open. For five years her sister and her had carefully hidden, knowing they would someday break free and return to the Amazon. They, at least, knew the proud warrior blood could never fall. They were simply hiding, awaiting the perfect time to strike. The Amazons would be back. The rulers of Srieg just didn't know it yet. And when the Amazon did rise again to conquer, Alie and Ashee would escape from the seemingly inevitable dust and grime, grime and dust that was their slavehood.  
  
Someday.  
  
Someday soon.   
  
Author's note: Okay, I'm kinda off to a slow start, but I'm introducing all the major characters. You'll have to bear with me again as the next two chapters or so will be bringing in characters so you'll be familiar with them when the 'adventure' starts. 


	3. Rough Hands and Steel Boots

The young Elf Flar shifted uncomfortably. It was stifling hot in his captain of the guards (why did the commander call him that, he wasn't captain, he was just a guard. But then, everyone was called that) uniform, despite the oncoming autumn. And the helmet sat heavily on his head. He shifted again, looking anxiously for the next guard to come and relieve him. He stamped one of his booted feet. His shift was over an hour ago. But he couldn't very well leave his post without another uniformed guard taking over. Not if he wanted to stay a 'captain of the guard'. He rubbed his hands together in frustration. These hands told the tale of a lifetime of swordsmanship. Rough and scarred, they showed all the mistakes, victories, defeats that he had himself to thank for. He learned from these hands, and honored them. With a sigh of relief, he waved to a jogging form, who had come to take over the post. His acquaintance, a slightly younger boy Nor, came hustling up.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just caught up in the whirl of things, first I helped in the kitchen, then I went to help the gardener with this really big load of fertilizer, after that I…" Nor was quickly explaining in his odd tone of voice. Flar found it necessary to interject.  
  
"It's alright Nor. Just take your position now, I'm about ready to fall, I'm so hot." Nor nodded sheepishly, wringing his just-as-rough hands together.  
  
"Please don't tell the captain?" he asked meekly.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't. No one will be the wiser." Flar assured him.  
  
"Thank you, thank you!"  
  
"Don't even worry about it Nor." Flar said, walking off.  
  
He sighed in content when he stripped off the extra layer of heavy armor. Without it, the night was cool and refreshing. Odd that his joy (fighting, being honored, living to serve, ect, ect.) could also be his discomfort. He peeled off the rest of the uniform, including, with the slightest hint of reluctance, his great broadsword. Holding it tenderly, he thought of the (WARNING: Stereotype inspiration ahead!) man who had previously owned this magnificent beauty. A great, tall Elf. His father…  
  
A large stallion reared up, screaming defiance to the saddle and halter held by a trembling stable hand. Mia ran up, snatching the equipment from the stunned boy.  
  
"Not very useful today, are we?" she hissed, thrusting the tackle into the hands of another, then running to the bucking horse. Grabbing a handful of it's mane, she threw herself upon the back, stomach lurching as the black body pranced franticly around. She stroked the fine neck, cooing to the beast. It stopped its nervous bucking, calming down to a slow, circular walk.  
  
"Now hand me the halter." Mia commanded, sliding off the horse. Soon enough, they had the angry beast all dressed for riding. Mia pushed the bangs of her short-cut blueish hair (based off the Flame Champion card. I don't care what other people say, she's a girl!) out of her eyes. The horse really was a beauty. Even when it stepped on her foot. But that was what the steel boots were for.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, one more chapter of the introducing and we're home free. I know having too many characters can be a bad thing, but I needed to create the band of miscreants (see the blahdely blah blah in the first chapter), and to have a band of miscreants, you need miscreants! Did that even make sense? Oh well v.v . Nothing matters. Well that's a lie. ^-^ I have no clue what I'm trying to say… 


	4. Ribbons

The ribbons swirled around as the group of girls spun in a circle. Uea (pronounced you-a), the only mortal in the bunch, smiled as the gold bracelets clinked on her ankles and wrists. A small pendant jumped on her forehead, clashing with her deep red hair, part of which was carefully braided into loops around her head. A fife sang in the corner, playing music to add to the thrill of the leaping, whirling dancers. The King clapped his hands, and the dancers stopped as one, the light ribbons drifting down to the floor.   
  
"I'm sorry for the interruption, my delicate flowers, but I really must be going to my meeting. But I'll see you later?" he directed at on of the girls, taking hold of her ribbons and letting it drift lightly out of his fingers. She let out a shrill giggle, peering anxiously at the others. Uea kept herself from making eye contact with the old king. (Uea was based off the Dragon Princess card, only in Japanese so far.) In perfect beat with the other girls, she danced out of the room.   
  
When they were out of earshot, the girl the king had addressed burst into a fit of tears.  
  
"Oh, my mother warned me about this, he's going to take me, what am I to do?" Uea shook her shoulders.  
  
"Pull yourself together, or he WILL. Look, he's going to a meeting, chances are he'll get to drunk to remember anything." The girl sniffled, blotting her nose with her sleeveless arm. She nodded, and Uea pat her on the back.  
  
"There now, feel better?" She nodded again, hiccuping.  
  
"I think I'll just turn in early, maybe it'll calm me." Uea nodded at the logic of that statement as the trembling girl lay down to sleep. She shuddered, glad she wasn't that poor girl, despite her words. The king was without morals. Even married, he stole away a new girl almost every day. Uea longed to escape from his kingdom, out of his reach and his rule.   
  
Okay, really short, but I needed room for this handy chart for those who might get confused. Me included.  
  
Cen: Prince of Srieg, based off the Celtic Guardian card.  
  
Alie: Kitchen Slave, Amazon. Tattoo of a dragon, signifying her as an Amazon. Based of the Amazon Archer card.  
  
Ashee: Alie's younger sister, also a slave. Unable to speak, but can roughly telepathically talk to Alie. Phoenix tattoo on her right arm. Based off the Flame Assassin or Lady Assailant of the Red Flame card.  
  
Flar: Palace guard. Father was murdered, but he still keeps his sword. Also based (lightly) off the Celtic Guardian card.  
  
Nor: Palace guard. Has a secret. But I'm not going to tell you what it is yet *sticks out tongue*. Another based lightly off the Celtic card.  
  
Mia: Horse master. Based off the Flame Champion, who IS a girl. I don't care what some of my friends say. She's a girl!  
  
Uea: Dancer, longs to escape from Srieg. Based off the Dragon Princess. 


	5. Playing Pretend

I apologize for not updating. I went to camp…  
  
Alie carted the pails of water for the cook, placing her feet carefully, delaying for as much time as she could. The cook disliked her greatly, quick to punish for any mistake, real or imagined. As a result, Alie spent as much time as she could away from the kitchen, taking full advantage of orders such as getting water. Looking up unexpectedly, she saw the king striding across the grounds to the stables. Feeling this was a perfect time to play-act, she ran to catch up with him.  
  
"Oh, your majesty!" she called in a falsely sweet voice no where near her own. He turned, eyes sparking dreaded recognition of her. Smiling to hide her distaste for the man, she spoke again.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for clumsily dropping all that wine on you, oh, it must have been a terror to get out," Alie put down the buckets, bobbing several unpracticed curtseys. King Jan's eyes shifted uneasily around to be sure his wife wasn't around as Alie let out a shrill giggle, forcing herself to blush greatly. Her insides squirmed unpleasantly as she continued to thoroughly disgust herself.  
  
"No, that's quite alright dear," King Jan hastily told her, trying to maneuver around her. She sidestepped in front of him again, blinking her eyes stupidly with a toothy grin. He quickly skip-jumped, making his way to the stables, this time faster than he had before. Satisfied, Alie recovered her buckets, only to walk passed a looming Prince Cen on her way to the kitchen.  
  
"Quite the crush you have on my father," he told her sneeringly. She paused, amber eyes piercing through him.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said smoothly, finishing the walk to the kitchen, leaving a dumbstruck Cen behind her.  
  
'What is with that girl?' Cen thought to himself later as he was called to dinner. She appeared everywhere now, whenever he walked through the palace or on the grounds, she was there.  
  
Just out of his reach…  
  
Author's note: Hi people. Annoyed with me yet? No? Well you obviously haven't been paying attention. So far I have seven random characters, none of which know the others exist, well except for Alie/Ashee and Cen/Alie. But that's it. And why is Alie pretending to love the king? Does it have something to do with her heritage? Or the king's morals-that-don't-exist? How is it I'm planning to pull all this together? Find out in the next couple of chapters! 


	6. Dreams

Alie awoke suddenly, head throbbing in pain. She rubbed at it, groaning. Looking over, she saw Ashee, mouth hanging open as if to scream. Of course no sound issued from her lips. Alie realized that the weak mental screams were causing her headache, and she quickly comforted Ashee. Ashee made facial motions as if to sob, tears running down her face. Alie grabbed the edge of her own sleeve, drying her little sister's face. Ashee clung to her helplessly.  
  
"What happened? What's wrong?" Alie whispered when Ashee had calmed. Ashee's face made a gruesome expression as she focused her little energy left to reply.  
  
'A phoenix died… It was trying to tell me something… But it was killed…Alie…' Ashee's face looked desperately up at her sister, 'It wanted me to do something. We have to leave. Soon.' Alie looked at her darling little sister and nodded.  
  
Cen tossed in his sleep. He was dreaming, if it could be called that. He saw the kingdom of Srieg fall, but he was not there to protect it. He had left long ago. Then, the dream stopped. A soothing wave of blue was drifting across his dream, calling to him. He was pulled towards a pedestal, a great jewel with an insignia inscribed upon it perched lordingly on the white structure. In the dream, Cen gripped the stone, carrying it to a mountain. Atop the mountain stood a shrine, and a small group of people put their hands on his. Together, they placed the stone upon it's rightful home. Forever bonded, they started the walk back down the mountain, to their unknowing future…  
  
Cen woke abruptly. Putting his hand to his head, he fell into deep thought. Funny, he was sure he had just dreamed. Oddly enough, he couldn't remember it.  
  
Author's note: okay, another disappointingly short chapter. Thanks for the reviews Dragon C. Chan and Cunobaby! 


	7. Coincidences

I have officially typed this chapter five times. It keeps getting deleted, unable to open, lost, ect, ect. IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!!! If this doesn't work, I'm going to scream.  
  
Please excuse any spelling errors there might be. I'm a horrible speller and the spellcheck has decided not to work.  
  
Prince Cen thundered on the back of the freshly-dressed stallion, laughing as it reared up defiantly. He was by no means a small man, but this horse could stride just as easily with his broad bulk than when he had no rider at all. It charged ahead, closer and closer to the palace. Looking ahead of him, Cen realized too late they were headed straight for the slave from the banquet. He tried to stop the horse, and the slave looked up. He was thrown off the horse's back and the slave fell beneath it's steel-clad hooves...  
  
Flar was just taking over Nor's post when a horrid animal yell echoed across the grounds. Looking up, they saw their future ruler fall off a black stallion's back and an innocent girl fall victim to it's hooves. Without hesitating they sprinted off to save their prince and an innocent girl from almost certain death...  
  
Mia frowned after the vanishing figure of the prince. Even as good a rider as he was, he was riding that stallion much too hard. Poor beast. Ah, well, nothing she could do about it. She diverted her attention to mucking the stalls. As she finished she heard the faint scream of a horse. Squinting her eyes, she saw the black blur of her newest horse throw the prince off his back and fall upon some girl. Dropping her shovel she hurried off to contain the black before it could harm anyone else...  
  
Uea pranced lightly, gently practicing the steps to the newest dance. She liked the extra twirls, complimenting the ribbons each girl wore. Hearing a commontion from the field near her, she saw a large black horse easily toss the young prince off and it's sharp hooves fall on a girl from the kitchens. Running lightly in the way only dancers can, she ran off to see if she could be of help...  
  
Ashee wanted to scream. She would have settled for hanging her mouth open in the way one did and pretending to, but that tended to direct more unusual stares at her. She despised those pathetic, falsely sympathetic stares. Her masters forgot too often that just because she couldn't protest aloud did not mean she didn't feel the pressures of the day. Thank the Holies she had been let of early. Chancing a glance out the window, she saw a black blur hurl the prince out of the saddle and land on some girl. With a dawning horror she recognized the girl as her sister and ran to save her from the sharp steel attacking her...  
  
Cen saw everything through a blanket of black fog, time moving slower than normal. He vagualy felt two pairs of hands steadying him, watching as a blur grabbed the stallion, murmmuring to it. The slave-blob picked herself off the ground, shaking another blur as it tried to help her, turning to assure a smaller fuzzy outline she was fine. Soon the fog drifted away and time returned to normal. Cen recognized the men holding him as Flar and Nor, two palace guards. The horemaster, he forgot her name constantly, stroked the black horse's muzzle, seemingly deep in conversation with it. A red-haired dancer girl tried to tend to the slave's wounds, only to be ignored until she gave up, irritated. The slave was talking to a younger slave, clearly a blood relative for they looked ridiculusly alike, telling her she was fine. Cen brushed the guard's hands off, wobbling as he tried to stand on his own. Oh, how his head hurt. For an instant, the group looked at one another, and all felt something pass between them.  
  
Mia noticed it first. She'd had the strangest dream a few nights before, involving a group of six besides herself, and these before her looked so simalar to those people from the dream. Awkwardly, she opened her mouth to speak.  
  
Ashee tugged on Alie's sleeve, mentally telling her that these were the people from her dream. Alie looked at her startled, asking her if she were sure, but in reality she knew the answer already...  
  
Nor turned to Flar, grinning.  
  
"Hey, remember that dream we both said we had?" Flar shushed him, brows furrowed. These people did remarkably resemble the ones from that odd dream he'd a little while ago...  
  
Uea blinked in surprise. Less than a week ago a dragon had come to her dreams, with news of a quest and six descirptions. These people were the ones from that blessed vision, she was sure...  
  
Cen looked at the commoners surronding him, greatly confused. He saw a group, this group, gathered around a shrine, hands place one on top of another, beckoning him to join. Then it hit him, a dream he was only now able to recall. It involved these people, and a stone of some sort. Wait, he knew that gem... It was in the castle treasury...  
  
"I'm sorry, you're all going to think I'm nuts, but did any of you dream a couple nights ago? I did, and I'm almost certain all of you were in it..." Mia trailed off uncertainly. The group stared at her. Easy-going Nor was the first to speak up, grinning.  
  
"Yeah, I did, and it was about all of us too. Hey, Flar did as-" Nor yelped when Flar jabbed him sharply in the ribs.  
  
"Hold-your-tongue, how many times do I have to tell you?" Flar hissed. Nor fell silent.  
  
"No, neither of you are crazy, I had the same kind of thing," Uea piped up, "All seven of us were there-" Cen started laughing sarcasticly.  
  
"Honestly, do any of you know who I am?" he asked. The four fell silent. (Alie and Ashee had been silent anyway.)  
  
"Yeah, we know you. Your majesty," Nor added hastily, looking at the ground.  
  
"Good. Now answer me this- What would I, the next generation of the noble Waltz line, be doing in the dreams of you, simple commoners? I suspect you all had a vaugely simialar dream and are simply exagerating. It's a coincidence, that's all."  
  
"Can it really be a coincidence that so many felt the same thing, your majesty?" Alie asked, spitting out your majesty like it was the dirtiest of titles. Cen raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"So you claim to be a part of this madness, slave?" He said slave in the same tone she had used on him. Alie drew her chin up, a dangerous move.  
  
"Not I but my sister, whom I'd believe no matter what story she told." Cen stepped up to Alie, in such a close proximity they were in each other's personal space, breathing one another's air. Her scent filled his nostrils and he exhaled, whispering so only Alie could hear his words.  
  
"So you admit to having a relative," he leaned in closer, tracing down her forearm where they both knew a mighty dragon resided, "I wonder. Does she to have the mark of your forbbiden tribe," Cen whispered seductivley into her ear, telling her of his power over her with but a single word, "Amazon?" Something flickered across the emotionless eyes. Fear? Cen couldn't tell, but something was there now. Alie spoke up, speaking just as low.  
  
"I think you presume too much, highness." Cen pulled away slightly, hand still tracing her arm.  
  
"I doubt that slave. I doubt that greatly." Alie jerked away from him.  
  
"If you insist upon talking to me," she said, "you should have a name to call me by. It's not slave. It's Alie." she turned and walked off. Cen chuckled quietly.  
  
"All right, Alie. I'll play your game." He turned and went in the opposite direction. Ashee chased after her sister. The remaining four stood in confusion.  
  
"Uh... What just happened here?" Nor asked. Uea looked towards the vanishing figure of the prince.  
  
"I fear that boy's the same as his father." The group nodded, and all went their seperate ways, none sensing their seperate ways would soon become singular...  
  
*Sailor Kirby can be seen crying* It's just not as good as it was the first time... *completly dissolves in tears*  
  
The first time, it was wonderful, each word the exact way it was meant to be, every paragraph, every sentence, just dripping with symbolism and foreshadowing. It would have set my language teacher into shock. Well, my language teacher last year. This one would have just glanced at it and said it was nice. She's not like my one last year. Oh well. Anyway, if you hated this chapter, feel free to express your disgust. It won't hurt my feelings. I hate it myself... 


End file.
